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Storytelling of traditional craftsmanship of Jingdezhen Porcelain – A Guest Lecture for IFTM Cultural and Heritage Management Programme Students

中文摘要 / Summary in Chinese

A guest lecture was delivered by two speakers, Mr. Sun Lixin and Ms. Sun Rongxie (Mary) on 12th April 2023. Mr. Sun is the 4th generation of Sungongyao Porcelain heritage inheritors (a traditional family transmitting the traditional craftsmanship of Jingdezhen Porcelain) and the Chairman of the Society of Folk Literature and Art in Jiangxi Province in China. Ms. Sun, the niece of Mr. Sun, is a current Year 4 undergraduate student at IFTM studying Tourism Business Management programme. IFTM lecturer, Dr. Vicky Chen Zhaoyu, invited them to deliver this online guest lecture to Cultural and Heritage Management Year 1 undergraduate students on the course of Intangible Heritage.

The sharing session aims to provide a cross-generation conversation about their stories on safeguarding and transmitting the traditional craftsmanship of Jingdezhen Porcelain. Jingdezhen is known as the “Porcelain Capital” in China, renowned for its ancient porcelain production that stretches back more than 1,700 years. In 2006, Jingdezhen’s hand-made porcelain art was included in the 1st batch of the national intangible cultural heritage list. Mr. Sun shared the full story of this traditional craftsmanship transmission from generation to generation and how such art and technical skills are protected, transmitted and innovated with the talents of the inheritors from his family. Apart from the skill improvement, Mr. Sun expressed the value of physical objects through the intangible as they are intrinsically linked. Students are inspired by the brilliant artworks they produced and deeply perceived the hardship of passing on such craftsmanship, which has to be rooted in a strong cultural and spiritual attachment to the culture and the family. Ms. Sun as the current generation who grew up with the influence of family also shared her views and passion in promoting this tradition, especially the utilisation of technology in heritage documentation and interpretation. All these practical insights further equip students with ideas on intangible cultural heritage practices and further reinforce their understanding of cultural diversity and the connections between tangible and intangible heritage learnt in class.

In addition to specialised courses on cultural and heritage management, the Cultural and Heritage Management programme provides undergraduates with access to off-campus activities designed to broaden their horizons, including field trips and lectures with industry experts, giving students precious insights to prepare a career in the field of cultural heritage.